BC court dismisses former CEO’s appeal over environmental violations at Yellow Giant mine
A British Columbia judge has rejected the appeal of the CEO of a defunct British Columbia miner, Banks Island Gold, who was found guilty in July 2023 of several environmental violations in relation to waste discharges from the Yellow Giant mine in 2014.
Yellow Giant is an underground gold and silver project on British Columbia’s north coast on Banks Island on the eastern shore of the Hecate Strait, 110 km south of Prince Rupert.
Benjamin Mossman appealed the decision that found him guilty of 13 environmental violations, including discharging mine waste, failing to report environmental spills and dumping, and discharging substances in concentrations exceeding permitted amounts.
The court ruling had found that former CEO Benjamin Mossman was “actively or passively involved” in the Yellow Giant mine exceeding permitted amounts of zinc on multiple occasions, polluting fresh water lakes and creeks in and around the exploration sites.
Banks Island Gold filed for bankruptcy in 2016.
In the March 15 ruling, the judge also said previously dropped charges of failing to report the pollution to authorities would have to be heard at a new trial because of errors in an earlier ruling, CBC News reported.
